Personal communications service using wireline/wireless integration

ABSTRACT

The Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) wireline system connects to and controls processing of calls to a Personal Communication Service subscriber&#39;s wireless handset via a home base station or a wireless communication network. Depending on its current location, the subscriber&#39;s handset automatically registers with the base station or with a mobility controller of the wireless network. A new registration with the base station when the handset comes within range causes that station to update the subscriber&#39;s home location register in a central data base of the AIN. Similarly, when a handset first registers with a mobility controller, that controller updates the subscriber&#39;s home location register in the central data base of the AIN. In response to calls directed to the subscriber, the AIN accesses the home location register to determine the current location where the handset is registered. The AIN then uses that data to route the call to the current location. In response to calls from the handset, the central data base provides instruction data to the land line network and/or a mobility controller to extend a requested special service to the calling subscriber.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.08/229,891, filed Apr. 19, 1994, pending, which is a division of U.S.application Ser. No. 07/845,924, filed Mar. 5, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No.5,353,331.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a personal communication serviceallowing a user to send and receive calls from a single portable handsetusing a single assigned number whether at home or roaming. The presentinvention provides method and system structures for interfacing thecapabilities of a land line telephone system with a radio linkcommunication system, using a land line Advanced Intelligent Network(AIN). In particular, the new system would control the provision ofprivate network service features to users of both radio link systems andland line systems to provide unbroken, or seamless, access to a varietyof different types of communications systems linked to the inventivesystem.

Acronyms

The written description uses a large number of acronyms to refer tovarious services and system components. Although known, use of severalof these acronyms is not strictly standardized in the art. For purposesof this discussion, acronyms therefore will be defined as follows:

Action Control Point (ACP)

Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN)

Advanced Services Platform (ASP)

Authentication Center (AC)

Base Station (BS)

Cellular Subscriber Station (CSS)

Common Channel Inter-office Signalling (CCIS)

Dual Tone Multifrequency (DTMF)

Data and Reporting System (D&RS)

Equipment Identity Register (EIR)

Home Location Register (HLR)

Integrated Service Control Point (ISCP)

Intelligent Peripheral (IP)

Local Access and Transport Area (LATA)

Low-Power Self Contained Cell (LPSC)

Mobile Identification Number (MIN)

Mobility Controller (MC)

Mobile Switching Center (MSC)

Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO)

Overhead Message Train (OMT)

Personal Base Station (PBS)

Personal Communication Service (PCS)

Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)

Private Branch Exchange (PBX)

Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX)

Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)

Service Control Point (SCP)

Service Management System (SMS)

Service Switching Point (SSP)

Signalling Transfer Point (STP)

Station Message Detail Recording (SMDR)

Service Creation Environment (SCE)

Telephone Company (TELCO)

Temporary Local Directory Number (TLDN)

Transaction Capabilities Applications Protocol (TCAP)

Visitor Location Register (VLR)

Wireless Private Branch Exchange (WPBX)

BACKGROUND ART

The Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) provides centralized control oftelephone services provided to subscribers through diversely locatedcentral office switching systems. In an AIN type system, central officessend and receive data messages from an Intelligent Services ControlPoint (ISCP) via a Switching Transfer Point (STP). At least some callsare then controlled through multiple central office switches using dataretrieved from a data base in the ISCP. In recent years, a number of newservice features have been provided by the Advanced Intelligent Network(AIN).

U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,020 issued Jul. 5, 1988, to Joseph V. Fodale, forexample, suggests access authorization in a multiple office environment.The Fodale system restricts access to a long distance telephone networkbased on the status of the billing number associated with the call, i.e.delinquent. The access control is provided through multiple local andtoll offices but is centrally controlled by a data base which storesaccount status information. The local office serving a calling telephoneextends a toll call to the toll office of the toll network carrier. Thetoll office queries the data base via a CCIS link regarding the currentstatus of the customer's account identified by the billing numberassociated with the call. The data base obtains the status informationof the billing number in question and translates that status into aresponse message instruction to allow or disallow extension of the tollcall through the toll network. The data base transmits the responsemessage to the toll office via CCIS link, and the toll office disallowsor extends the call through the toll network as instructed by theresponse message.

A number of the features provided by the prior art AIN type intelligentnetworks relate to specialized call processing of incoming calls, asdiscussed below.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,860 issued Mar. 4, 1980, to Roy P. Weber discloses asystem for providing special processing of incoming calls via a numberof local switching offices based on information stored in a central database. The local and toll offices of the telephone network compile a calldata message and forward that message via a CCIS link to the centraldata base, essentially a Service Control Point or SCP. The data base atthe SCP translates the dialed INWATS number, included in the message,into a call control message. The call control message includes anunlisted destination telephone number, which is then returned to theoffices of the network via CCIS link. The network uses the call controlmessage to complete the particular call.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,611,094 and 4,611,096 both to Asmuth et al. disclose asystem for providing custom incoming telephone call processing servicesto a corporate customer operating at geographically dispersed locationsthrough a plurality of local office switches. A customer program storedin a central data base is accessed to provide instructions to theswitches to complete incoming calls to customer locations in accord withspecial services defined by the corporate customer. Incoming calls tothe customer are routed to an Action Control Point (ACP) which typicallyis a modified toll office. The ACP has a number of "primitive" callprocessing capabilities, such as providing voice prompts to callers andreceiving additional caller inputs. The customer program controls theACP's to string together the desired primitive call processingcapabilities to process each call to the customer. Specified parametersstored in the program, such as time of day, caller location and datainputs responsive to the voice prompts, determine the final customerstation to which each call should be completed. The customized callprocessing disclosed by Asmuth et al. can also include customizedbilling for calls, e.g, by splitting charges between the customer andthe caller. The Asmuth et al. system sets up a billing record for eachcall in the ACP or toll office. Asmuth et al. also teach procedures forhandling of calls directed to a corporate customer when the call servingoffice does not have all of the capabilities needed for processing thecall in accord with the customer's stored program. In particular, uponrecognition of the deficiencies of the call serving office, the Asmuthet al. system transfers call processing to a second office havingadequate capabilities for completion of the call.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,718 issued Nov. 29, 1988, to Sandra D. McNabb et al.suggests centralized recording of call traffic information. Thearchitecture is similar to that disclosed by the earlier discussedpatents to Weber and Asmuth et al. to the extent that local and tolloffices communicate with a central data base via CCIS link. The McNabbet al. system improves over the incoming call routing provided by theWeber patent and the two Asmuth et al. patents discussed above by addinga data gathering function to the centralized data base which stores theindividual customer's call routing program. In McNabb et al. the centraldata processor provides call attempt records and a traffic data summaryof all calls directed to a particular 800 number.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,267 issued Jul. 12, 1988, to Bernard J. Riskinteaches routing of an 800 number call, where the dialed numberidentifies a particular product or service, to the nearest dealer forthe identified product or service. The toll office sends a messageincluding the dialed 800 number and the area code of the caller to adata base which translates this into a standard ten digit telephonenumber for the nearest computer at a Customer/Dealer Service Company(CDSC). The telephone network then routes the call to this computer,which answers the call and provides a synthesized voice response. Thecomputer uses call data and or Touchtone dialed information from thecaller to identify the selected product or service and then accesses itsown data base to find the telephone number of one or more nearby dealersin that product or service. The computer then calls the dealer andconnects the original caller to the called dealer.

Several other patents use a network similar to the AIN type intelligentnetwork to provide personalized services to individual subscribers, forexample when they are away from their home telephone station.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,035 issued Jan. 26, 1982, to David S. Jordan et al.patent discloses a method of providing a person locator service throughmultiple exchanges of the switched telephone network. Each subscriber isassigned a personal number uniquely identifying the subscriber. Anabsent subscriber inputs a number to which calls are to be completed,such as the number where the subscriber can be reached, into a centraldata base. A caller wishing to reach the subscriber dials the numberuniquely identifying that subscriber. In response to an incoming calldirected to the unique number, a telephone switching office havingaccess to CCIS sends the dialed number to the central data base referredto by Jordan et al. as an SSP. The data base retrieves the storedcompletion number for the called subscriber and forwards that numberback to the switching office to complete the call. The subscriber canupdate the stored data from any telephone. Also, the subscriber canspecify whether to charge calls via the person locator system to thesubscriber or to the caller.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,373 issued Feb. 6, 1990, to Chinmei Lee et al.discloses a system for providing special telephone services to acustomer on a personal basis, when the customer is away form his or herhome base or office. A nationally accessible data base system storesfeature data in association with personal identification numbers. Asubscriber wishing to use personalized features while away from homebase dials a special code from a station connected to any exchange whichhas access to the data base and presents the personal identificationnumber. The corresponding feature data is retrieved from the data baseand stored in the exchange in association with the station from whichthe request was initiated. The exchange then provides telephone servicecorresponding to the subscriber's personalized telephone features. Atemporary office arrangement may be established in which thepersonalized features will be immediately available on incoming andoutgoing calls for a period of time specified by the subscriber.

Further modifications of the AIN system allow a TELCO to customize therouting of telephone calls via a graphical programming language used ona specialized terminal by telephone company personnel.

As seen from the cited patents, the prior art AIN systems areexclusively land line communications systems, i.e. they providetelephone communication services via wired telephone lines, which to thesubscriber typically is a tip and ring pair. The signalling protocolused for AIN allows only for control of telephone network switchingelements in response to queries originated by network switchingelements. Wired line communications, even those provided by AIN, arenecessarily limited by the fixed nature of installed lines. Thesesystems make no provision for communication to any mobile unit.

Separate radio-link communications systems have been developed whichgenerally relied on the TELCO's only to provide trunks and voicecommunication to and from land line based parties. Operation of themobility controllers of the mobile or radio network has been controlledentirely within the radio-link communication network.

The most common type of mobile radio link communication systems is thecellular radio telecommunications system (cellular telephone or mobiletelephone system). The cellular telecommunications industry hasdeveloped roaming standards which when implemented will allow automatichandoffs from one cellular network to another during an establishedcall, and to allow roaming from one system to another while havingincoming calls follow the customer to the visited system. The protocolwhich accomplishes this are set out in the EIA/TIA publicationsIS-41.1-A, IS41.2-A, IS-41.3-A, IS-41.4-A, and IS-41.5-A. For example,in all cellular systems conforming to IS-41 Rev. a. registration of anactivated roaming mobile station takes place automatically even if acall is not in progress or being requested. The IS-41 protocol is anout-of-band signalling protocol which may be transported by either X.25or SS#7 links. No links to the land line network, however, havepreviously been established for IS-41 signalling.

The link between the mobile cellular user (CSS) and the appropriate basestation (BS) uses particular radio frequencies mandated by the FCC.Dedicated trunk lines serve as the link between the base station and themobile switching center (MSC), and the interface between mobileswitching centers within the same system (same cellular provider) isgenerally provided by dedicated land lines. Data links connect themobile switching center to a visitor location register (VLR), homelocation register (HLR), and equipment identity register (EIR), all ofwhich can be located at the mobile switching center or at a remotepoint. All three registers may serve more than one mobile switchingcenter. The HLR is the location register to which a user identity isassigned for record purposes, such as subscriber information, i.e.,directory number, profile information, current location, validationperiod. The VLR is the location register, other than the HLR, which anMSC temporarily uses to store and retrieve information regarding avisiting subscriber or user. The differences between the VLR and the HLRare moot when handoff of a mobile user or subscriber is limited to theMSCs within a single system (single provider), since all the users arepresumed to be listed in the home location register, and are validatedon that basis. The VLR becomes important only when a subscriber who isnot listed on the HLR of a cellular provider enters the system andregisters. This situation is commonly described as roaming.

After determining that a roaming subscriber is currently within itssurface area, the serving MSC sends a REGNOT (registration notification)to its VLR. The new serving MSC may detect a roaming subscriber'spresence through automatic autonomous registration without a callrequest, call origination, call termination (such as a page responsefollowing a call to the roamer port), or a service order. If the roamingsubscriber had previously registered with an MSC within the domain ofthe VLR, the VLR may take no further action other than to record theidentity of the MSC currently serving the roaming subscriber. If theroaming subscriber was previously unknown to the VLR, or if the MSCregistered information not available at the VLR, the VLR sends an REGNOTsignal to the HLR associated with the roaming subscriber. The MSCrecognizes this association based on the mobile identification number(MIN) reported by the roaming subscriber's mobil communication unit uponentering the new service area. The REGNOT signal sent from the VLR tothe MSC may be contingent upon the response received from the HLR. Forexample, the roaming subscriber may not currently be a valid subscriberof the system in which the HLR is located.

If the roaming subscriber was previously registered elsewhere, the HLRsends a REGCANC (registration cancellation) signal to the previouslyvisited VLR. That VLR (old serving system), upon receipt of thecancellation message, essentially removes all record of the roamingsubscriber from its memory. The REGCANC signal can be sent by the HLR atany time after it receives the REGNOT signal. The new serving VLRcreates an entry for the roaming subscriber in its internal datastructure and may send a QUALREQ (qualification request) signal to theHLR in order to authenticate the roaming subscriber and determine thevalidation requirements. The VLR, if required, may then send a PROFREQ(service profile request) signal to the HLR to obtain the serviceprofile for the roaming subscriber.

Many mobility controllers of the above described cellular systems arenow programmed to provide subscribers selected special services.Normally, roaming subscribers engaged in "feature calls" which requirespecial support by the system will not be handed off between systems. Ifthe mobile subscriber has roamed to another system and registered onthat system, normally the special features will not necessarily beallowed to the roamer. Normally handoff of a roaming subscriber in the"on-hook" state (not engaged in a call) will not take place when movingto a new system. Further, path minimization which is often found in thecontrol scheme of a single system may not be provided for when a handoffof a roaming user from one system to another occurs. Thus, specialservices or features available to a subscriber through the home systemare not available when the subscriber roams through other systems.

Data networks, such as X.25 packet switched networks, interconnect themobility controllers with each other for data communications, forexample to transfer necessary data from a subscriber's HLR to a VLR inthe mobility controller the subscriber's mobile station is currentlycommunicating with. The IS-41 protocols used by the mobilecommunications networks, however, have not been compatible with theprotocols used to communicate between SSP's and the ISCP of the landbased Advanced Intelligent Network.

There have been efforts to interface the two kinds of telephone deviceto provide unbroken access to at least one communication system at alltimes. One such arrangement is the well known cordless telephone. Thistelephone includes both a handset having a radio transceiver and a basestation having a transceiver. The base unit connects to a land linesystem. A DTMF dialer in the base responds to control signals receivedthrough the base station transceiver to request telephone services,e.g., place a call. When an outgoing call is desired, a data stream isoutput from the handset over a radio link to the base station,initiating an interrogation routine in which the identity of the handset(usually required or programmed into a handset microprocessor) isconfirmed at the base station. The desired telephone number is punchedinto a key set on the handset and output as a data stream. This datastream is received by the base unit and converted for use on the landline telephone system as DTMF signals.

Typically, both handset and base station include a microprocessor tocontrol operations thereof. These operations include a registrationbetween the handset and the base station before the base station willestablish communication with the land line.

Registration can occur automatically when a handset enters the area of abase station. Alternatively, the registration between handset and baseunit can occur when an incoming land line call is received by the basestation or when the user seeks to make an outgoing call.

Since cordless telephones are generally controlled by microprocessors, awide variety of functions such as intercom, three-way conversations,memory dialing, answering machine functions, and timed-automaticdial-out, are available. Also, since the base unit connects to astandard telephone, telephone network special services, such as thoseprovided by AIN, are available to the handset via its associated baseunit. Cordless handsets, however, use very little power and consequentlyhave a very limited range with respect to the base station andconsequently have limited range. Also, cordless telephone systemsgenerally operate at different frequencies than those used by cellulartelephone systems or microcell systems so that the cordless set cannotroam through the cellular network.

An essential problem with all of these systems is that they are notuniversal. Some environments require the use of one kind of system whileprecluding the use of others. For example, a moving vehicle requires theuse of a cellular system and precludes the use of a direct land lineconnection. The expense of a cellular system, however, makes the use ofa fixed land line far more practical when the user is at a stationarylocation. Even at a stationary location, such as one's home, a usercannot remain constantly within earshot of a telephone. Consequently,the use of a cordless handset system becomes necessary to one who wishesto move about while maintaining access to a communications system. Sincethe cordless telephone system does not interface with the cellulartelephone system, the user much switch systems when changingenvironments, entailing an interruption of access to communicationssystems and requiring additional costly equipment as well asnecessitating the use of an additional telephone number. Further,special features available and often relied upon in one system are oftennot transferrable to another system. Consequently, the user mustreadjust his mode of communicating to compensate for changes in thefeatures available on each type of communication system.

From the above discussion, it becomes clear that the AIN provides oneset of services to land line customers and the mobile communicationsystem provides a different independent set of services. A subscriberwanting access to both types of services had to subscribe to both andtypically was assigned two independent numbers, i.e. telephone numbers,at which to receive calls via each network. Such dual independentsubscription increased costs to the subscriber and made it difficult forcallers to know which number to use to currently reach the subscriber.Also, the wide variety of service features available to the subscribervia the AIN were not readily available to the subscriber via the mobilecommunication network, and those special service features available tothe mobile subscriber were available only to the home cellular system.

Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention willbe set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of thefollowing or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectsand advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means ofthe instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

1. Objectives

One objective of the present invention is to provide a communicationservice which is adaptable to each user's individual life style. Thismeans that the user should be able to customize the service to suittheir personal needs and when necessary the predefined service for eachcustomer should follow that customer as he or she moves to newlocations.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide communicationsservices via both land based communications lines and radio links insuch a manner that the services appear seamless across boundaries of theland line network and the radio link network. More specifically, eachservice should appear the same to the individual user, whether the useraccesses the service via land line or via radio link. Communicationservices not normally available to mobile users are made available usingthe present invention.

One more specific object is to provide calls to a person whether thatperson is at home or away from home using a single telephone numberassigned to that person.

Another objective is to maintain access to a communications system by auser having a single hand-set regardless of user movement.

2. Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides centralized control of call processing byboth telephone central office switching systems and wireless mobilitycontrollers based on call processing data associated with individualsubscribers stored in a central service control point, or data base,within the telephone network. This centralized call processing controlcan provide call routing to either a land line or a wireless unit via amobility controller, in response to calls directed to a single number.The system can also extend special services normally provided to landlines by the telephone central office switches to any line of the systemdesignated by subscriber registration and to mobile units operating inthe wireless portion of the network. Thus, the invention allows theindividual user to control the delivery of telecommunications servicesto meet their personal life style and to virtually any geographiclocation, covered by the network, to which the user roams.

The integrated wired and wireless communication network of the presentinvention includes communication lines and a central office switchingsystem connected to communication lines selectively providing switchedcommunication connections between the communication lines. A mobilitycontroller selectively provides wireless communications to and frommobile communication units. Communication trunks interconnect thecentral office switching system and the mobility controller, and themobility controller selectively provides switched communications betweenthe communication trunks and wireless mobile communication units. Anetwork controller, separate from the central office switching systemand the mobility controller, stores call processing data for subscriberswho are associated with one of the communication lines connected to thecentral office switching system and for subscribers associated with oneof the mobile communication units. Call processing by both the centraloffice switching system and the mobility controller to establish acompleted communication link is controlled in response to the storedcall processing data associated with at least one of the subscribers.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method by which the integratedsystem recognizes calls directed to an assigned subscriber number andaccesses data stored in the central network controller to determine aline to a switching system or a mobility controller at which thesubscriber last registered.

The programmability of the subscriber's service data within the networkcontroller allows the subscriber to design call screening procedures toselectively route certain calls to other termination points, such as avoice mailbox. As another example, the system could provide a voiceprompt asking certain callers if they are willing to pay for tollcharges through long distance lines or for air time through the wirelesspart of the network. The system would complete the call only if thecaller dialed in digits indicating assent to such charges and would addthe charges to the caller's bill. The system also allows a subscriber tospecify points to route calls to if the line and/or mobile communicationunit are busy, for example to a different station such as might beassigned to a secretary. The invention also provides several systems foradding or modifying subscriber data stored in the central networkcontroller's data base.

The invention also includes method and apparatus for conductingregistration procedures to inform the central network controller wherethe subscriber currently is located. A wireless base unit connected to atelephone line registers with the mobile communication unit when themobile unit comes within range, and the base unit automatically dialsand informs the central network controller of the registration.Similarly, when the portable unit first registers with a mobilitycontroller, the mobility controller informs the network controller ofthe new registration.

When the system includes two central service controllers, often referredto as ISCP's, the invention also provides special procedures forexchange of data between the central controllers so that switchingsystems and mobility controllers communicate only with the centralcontroller in their area. This prevents transmission of call processinginstructions from a remote service controller to a switching system ormobility controller which might cause errant operation. In the preferredembodiment, the present invention designates the central controller orISCP in the subscriber's home region as the source of that subscriber'sHome Location Register (HLR) data. Also, each of the central controllersis set up to include Visiting Location Register (VLR) capability. When asubscriber traveling in a region other than his home region registerswith a central controller outside her home region, through either atelephone registration procedure or a mobility controller registrationprocedure, that central controller establishes a VLR for that visitingsubscriber. When switching systems or mobility controllers in thevisited area need data regarding the visiting subscriber, they accessthe VLR in the central controller within that area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 provides a conceptualized illustration, in general block diagramform, of the communication system for implementing the PersonalCommunication Service.

FIG. 2 is a more specific block diagram of one embodiment of theintegrated land line and wireless communication system used in thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the procedure by which the home base unitregisters with the ISCP when the portable handset comes within range ofthe home base unit.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the procedure by which a mobilitycontroller registers with the ISCP when the portable handset comeswithin range of the mobility controller.

FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C together form a flow chart depicting the callprocessing routine for routing calls to a Personal Communication Servicesubscriber.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting call processing for providing specialcommunication services in the intelligent network.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating control-channel allocation used in thewireless portion of the network.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The Personal Communication Service or "PCS" of the present inventionuses an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) type architecture togetherwith elements of a mobile communication system, such as a cellularradio-telephone network. One conceptual example of an AIN and cellularsystem for implementing the PCS service appears in simplified blockdiagram form in FIG. 1.

In the simplified example of FIG. 1, one or more central officeswitches, such as the class 4/5 Switch 111, are located throughout astate or region served by a TELCO providing the Personal CommunicationService. Local telephone lines connect the central office switch 111 toindividual telephone terminals in each geographic area, for example tothe Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) phone 113 and the base station115 (described in detail below).

Although shown as telephones in FIGS. 1 and 2, the terminals cancomprise any communication device compatible with the line. Where theline is a standard voice grade telephone line, for example, theterminals could include facsimile devices, modems etc. Similarly, theportable handsets can incorporate both standard telephone communicationcomponents and other communication devices. In fact, the portable unitsmay not be handsets at all. If desired, the portable unit may compriseany communication device compatible with the system, for exampleportable facsimile devices, laptop computers, etc.

The preferred embodiments described herein provide the wirelesscommunication services via radio links using frequencies assigned tocellular communications networks. Other types of wireless communication,however, could be substituted for the radio communication systems. Forexample, the invention could use a series of radio relay transponders,an infrared system or a satellite based system to provide one or more ofthe wireless links.

The Switch 111 connects via trunk circuits 121, 123 to one or moreMobility Controllers (MC's), such as the Cellular MC 117 and the PCS MC119. As described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2, each centraloffice will also connect via trunk circuits to one or more remotecentral offices. The trunk circuits carry large numbers of telephonecalls between central offices and/or between a central office and themobility controllers. Also, each central office has a Common ChannelInter-office Signalling (CCIS) type data link 125 going to a SignallingTransfer Point or "STP" 127. CCIS type data links 129 and 131 providedata communication for PCS and related special service processingbetween the MC's 117, 119 and the STP 127. Also, a CCIS packet switcheddata link 105 connects the STP 127 to an Integrated Serves Control Point(ISCP) 100.

Each MC connects to antennas for a number of cell cites to providewireless communication services to PCS portable handsets 135 and/orother wireless mobile communication devices. In the example shown,Cellular MC 117 controls communications via a number of macrocells 137.PCS MC 119 controls communications via a number of microcells 139. TheMC's 117, 119 are also interconnected with each other by IS-41 datatrunks 133, and may be interconnected via voice trunks (not separatelyshown) essentially running in parallel with the IS-41 trunks 133.

To provide land line type centrex services for a business customer, theswitch 111 provides a land line connection 143 to the customer'spremises 141. The land line link would actually include a number oftelephone lines connected to various types of conventional telephoneterminal devices. To provide wireless centrex services to a particularlocation, which may be the same customer premises 141, lines 145 connectthe PCS MC 119 to macrocell antennae within the customer's building.Although shown as a single building, the integrated Centrex could covera broader area, for example an entire college campus. The PCS system canintegrate a customer's existing wireline-based Centrex or PBX serviceswith a wireless version of those services. PCS will allow four digitdialing of the personal Centrex or PBX number, and it will recognizewhen the personal user is located within a unique wireless environmentbased upon registration information sent to it by the wirelessCentrex/PBX provider for delivery of calls. Calls to the Centrex/PBXnumber will be automatically routed to wherever the personal user is, beit wired or wireless and on any connecting network.

System Architecture

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the components of AIN typeintegrated land line and wireless system, similar to the system of FIG.1, but showing somewhat more detail of the preferred embodiment of thesystem for implementing the invention. In this figure, each of the COswitches are labeled as an "SSP." These Service Switching Points,referred to as SSP's, are appropriately equipped programmable switchespresent in the telephone network, which recognize AIN type calls, launchqueries to the ISCP and receive commands and data from the ISCP tofurther process the AIN calls.

SSP's can be programmed to recognize a number of different triggers asan indication that a call is an AIN call. For example, the trigger canrelate to the identification of the telephone line from which a call orother request for service originates, and such a trigger is useful foractivating certain services to be discussed later. At least initially,however, for incoming PCS type calls the trigger is based on arecognition that the terminating station identified by the destinationnumber is a PCS subscriber.

As shown in FIG. 2, all of the CO's 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 are equippedand programmed to serve as SSP's. Such central office switching systemstypically consist of the above discussed class 4/5 programmable digitalswitch with CCIS communications capabilities. One current example ofsuch a switch is a 5ESS type switch manufactured by AT&T; but othervendors, such as Northern Telecom and Seimens, manufacture comparabledigital switches which could serve as the SSP's. The illustratedembodiment is perhaps an ideal implementation which would make thePersonal Communication Service widely available at the local officelevel throughout the network. As will be discussed later, otherimplementations provide the SSP functionality only at selected points inthe network, and telephone end offices without such functionalityforward calls to one of the SSP's.

A number of subscriber telephone lines connect to each of the SSP'swhich provide switched telephone communications services to subscriberterminals coupled to those telephone lines. Many of the TELCO'ssubscriber's will still have ordinary telephone terminals, as shown.Those who subscribe to PCS will have a home base unit, such as shown at12, 14, 16 and 18. The base unit may be the only terminal deviceconnected to a particular telephone line, as is base unit 12, or thebase may connect to the line in parallel with one or more standardtelephone station sets as does base unit 14.

To provide wireless mobile communications, the network further includesa number of Mobility Controllers or "MC's" which communicate with theSSP's, STP's and ISCP of the AIN type telephone network. As shown in thedrawing, the network includes cellular MC's 22 and 26 and MC's 24 and 28constructed specifically for PCS. Each of the MC's connects to an SSPtype central office switch via a voice telephone trunk, shown in solidlines. MC's 22, 24, 26 and 28 each also connect to one of the STP's viaan SS#7 link.

The system for implementing Personal Communication Service in onetelephone company service area or perhaps one LATA includes a number ofthe SSP capable CO switches, such as the SSP's shown at 11, 13, 15, and17. The SSP type central offices are each at a different location anddistributed throughout the area or region served by the PersonalCommunication Service system. The PCS system of one regional TELCO willconnect to networks serving other regions, for example the networks ofother TELCO'S. The switch 19 in FIG. 2 represents one of the SSPswitches of a second TELCO implementing a PCS service.

The SSP's 11 and 13 connect to a first local area STP 23, and the SSP's15 and 17 connect to a second local area STP 25. The connections to theSTP's are for signalling purposes. As indicated by the black dots belowSTP's 23 and 25, each local area STP can connect to a large number ofthe SSP's. As shown by solid lines in FIG. 2, the central offices orSSP's are interconnected to each other by trunk circuits for carryingtelephone services.

The local area STP's 23 and 25, and any number of other such local areaSTP's, shown as black dots between STP's 23 and 25, communicate with astate or regional STP 31. The state or regional STP 31 in turn providescommunications with the TELCO's ISCP 40. The STP hierarchy can beexpanded or contracted to as many levels as needed to serve any sizearea covered by the Personal Communication Service and to service anynumber of stations, central office switches, mobility controllers andmobile communication units.

The links between the SSP's and the local area STP's are CCIS links,typically SS#7 type interoffice data communication channels. The localarea STP's are in turn connected to each other and to the regional STP31 via an SS#7 packet switched network. The regional STP 31 alsocommunicates with the ISCP's 40 via a packet switched networkcommunications.

The network of the second TELCO can have an architecture essentiallysimilar to that described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 the SSP19 connects to a first local area STP 27 via an SS#7 link, and SSP 19connects to one or more central offices or SSP's including SSP 17 bymeans of trunk circuits for carrying telephone services. The local areaSTP 27 communicates with a state or regional STP 33 of the second TELCO.The STP 33 provides CCIS type data communications with the secondTELCO's ISCP 50 and with the SSP's and ISCP's of other TELCO's, forexample by packet switched connection to STP 31. The link between theSSP 19 and the local area STP is a CCIS link, typically an SS#7 typeinteroffice data communication channel. The local area STP is connectedto the regional STP 33 via a packet switched network also typicallySS#7. The regional STP 33 also communicates with the ISCP 50 via apacket switched network. The second TELCO's network further includes anumber of MC's such as MC 34, each of which will communicate with theSSP's, STP's and ISCP of the AIN type telephone network. Like the MC'sof the first TELCO, MC 34 connects to an SSP 19 via a voice telephonetrunk, shown as a solid line. MC 34 also connects to the local area STP27 via an SS#7 link.

The above described data signalling network between the CO's and theISCP is preferred, but other signalling networks could be used. Forexample, instead of the CCIS links, STP's and packet networks, a numberof MC's together with several CO's and an ISCP could be linked for datacommunication by a token ring network. Also, the SSP capability may notalways be available at the local office level, and several otherimplementations might be used to provide the requisite SSP capability.For example, none of the end office switches may have SSP functionality.Instead, each end office would connect to a trunk tandem which in turnfeeds calls to a central SSP capable switch. The SSP then communicateswith the ISCP, as in the implementation described above, but in thiscase via an SS#7 type CCIS link. In another embodiment, some of the endoffices are SSP capable, and some are not. Again, each of the endoffices normally communicates through a trunk tandem. For the SSPcapable switches, they communicate directly with an STP which relayscommunications to and from the ISCP, in the same manner as in theembodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. For those end offices which lack SSPcapability, calls are forwarded to the SSP capable trunk tandem which inturn relays data to and from the ISCP. In these alternate embodiments,the SSP capable trunk tandem switches are digital switches, such as the5ESS switch from AT&T; and the non-SSP type end offices might be 1Aanalog type switches.

The MC's are connected with each other via IS-41 protocol trunks forexchange of data relating to handoff and to exchange of data forextending services to visiting subscribers of distant cellular systemswho are not subscribers to PCS. The IS-41 data trunks are actually apacket switched network, which may be either an X.25 network or an SS#7network. To provide handoff during a wireless call in progress, the MC'sare also interconnected via trunk circuits (not shown).

To allow data communication of HLR data registered in the ISCP's 40, 50,to visitor location registers in remote MC's, the network furtherincludes a hub STP 53. The hub STP connects to an X.25 packet switcheddata network, which currently carries IS-41 data messages betweenexisting MC's outside the PCS service area. The hub STP 53 couples IS-41messages between the X.25 network and the SS#7 network, shown by thedotted line data communication link to the regional STP 33. Thecommunication through the hub STP 53 allows outside MC's to communicatewith the ISCP's of both TELCO's providing the PCS type services as ifthe ISCP's 40, 50 were home location MC's for the PCS subscribers whenPCS subscriber is visiting another service area.

The messages transmitted between the SSP's and the ISCP's are allformatted in accord with the Transaction Capabilities ApplicationsProtocol (TCAP). The TCAP protocol provides standardized formats forvarious query and response messages. Each query and response includesdata fields for a variety of different pieces of information relating tothe current call. Of particular note here, an initial TCAP query fromthe SSP includes, among other data, a "Service Key" which is the callingparty's address and digits representing the called party address. TCAPalso specifies a standard message response format including routinginformation, such as primary carrier ID, alternate carrier ID and secondalternate carrier ID and a routing number and a destination number. TheTCAP specifies a number of additional message formats, for example aformat for a subsequent query from the SSP, and formats for "INVOKE"responses for instructing the SSP to play an announcement or to play anannouncement and collect digits.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ISCP 40 is an integrated system. Among othersystem components, the ISCP 40 includes a Service Management System(SMS) 41, a Data and Reporting System (DRS) 45 and the actual data baseor Service Control Point (SCP) 43. The ISCP also typically includes aterminal subsystem referred to as a Service Creation Environment or SCE(not shown) for programming the data base in the SCP 43 for the servicessubscribed to by each individual business customer. Although not shownin detail, the ISCP 50 will typically have a similar integrated systemstructure. Alternatively, the second ISCP 50 may not be an "integrated"system. For example, the second unit 50 may include only a data basesystem similar to that of the Service Control Point (SCP) 43.

For standard telephone service, each central office switching systemnormally responds to a service request on a local communication lineconnected thereto to selectively connect the requesting line to anotherselected local communication line. The connection can be made locallythrough only the connected central office switching system. For example,for a call from station A to station B, the SSP 11 provides the callconnection without any connection to another central office. When thecalled line connects to a distant station, for example when station Acalls station C, the connection is made through the connected centraloffice switching system SSP 11 and at least one other central officeswitching system SSP 13 through the telephone trunks interconnection thetwo CO's.

In the normal call processing, the central office switching systemresponds to an off-hook and receives dialed digits from the callingstation. The central office switching system analyzes the receiveddigits to determine if the call is local or not. If the called stationis local and the call can be completed through the one central office,the central office switching system connects the calling station to thecalled station. If, however, the called station is not local, the callmust be completed through one or more distant central offices, andfurther processing is necessary. If at this point the call wereconnected serially through the trunks and appropriate central officesbetween the caller and the called party using in channel signalling, thetrunks would be engaged before a determination is made that the calledline is available or busy. Particularly if the called line is busy, thiswould unnecessarily tie up limited trunk capacity. The CCIS systemthrough the STP's was developed to alleviate this problem.

In the CCIS type call processing method the local central officesuspends the call and sends a query message through one or more of theSTP's. The query message goes to the central office to which the calledstation is connected, referred to as the "terminating" central office;for example, the query would go from originating SSP 11 to terminatingSSP 13. The terminating central office determines whether or not thecalled station is busy. If the called station is busy, the terminatingcentral office so informs the originating central office which in turnprovides a busy signal to the calling station. If the called station isnot busy, the terminating central office so informs the originatingcentral office. A telephone connection is then constructed via thetrunks and central offices of the network between the calling and calledstations. The receiving central office then provides a ringing signal tothe called station and sends ringback tone back through the connectionto the calling station.

The call processing routines discussed above are similar to those usedin existing networks to complete calls between stations connected toland lines. In an AIN system implementing Personal CommunicationService, these normal call processing routines would still be executedfor completion of calls originating from stations not subscribing to thePersonal Communication Service.

In one implementation, the local SSP type CO's are programmed torecognize any call directed to any one of the PCS subscribers associatedtherewith as a Personal Communication Service Call. In response to sucha call destination type trigger, the CO associated with the destinationsubscriber, i.e the terminating SSP, would communicate with the ISCP viaan STP to obtain all necessary call processing data to complete the PCScall to the subscriber's portable handset at its current location. It isalso possible to program originating SSP's to determine whether or notoutgoing calls are directed to PCS subscribers and trigger thecommunications with the ISCP at the originating SSP instead of theterminating SSP.

To extend special telephone services from the AIN to subscriberscommunicating via the mobile network will require adapting the MC's totrigger queries to the ISCP in response to outgoing call or servicerequests. One way to do this is to modify the switch structure andprogramming of the MC's so that each MC includes SSP functionalitysimilar to that of the telephone network SSP's. Another approach is tomodify the MC's to forward calls to an SSP capable switch or tandem,with outpulsing of the originating subscriber data, so as to process thecalls via the tandem in manners similar to those used for non-SSPcapable end offices switches discussed earlier.

PCS Handset

Although described principally as "handsets", the mobile communicationunits used in the Personal Communication Service (PCS) can take manyforms. The mobile communication unit could take the form of a vehiclemounted unit similar to existing mobile telephones. Also, the mobilecommunication units might include other communication devices compatiblewith the system, with or without incorporating standard telephonecommunication components. For example, the portable unit may compriseportable facsimile devices, laptop computers etc., one or more of whichmight incorporate a telephone handset.

The mobile communication unit, particularly when in the form of ahandset, is configured in manner similar to the cordless handsets foundin the prior art, except that the PCS units include a radio transceiversoperating at cellular frequencies and capable of meeting cellularsignalling protocols. The compatibility with cellular systems allows thePCS mobile units to roam through existing cellular networks. Amicroprocessor in the mobile unit controls all operations of the unit,particularly registration procedures and associated signallingtransmissions.

The PCS handset has the capability of interfacing with a base station,usually at the user's home, a local cellular system in which the user'shome is located, additional cellular systems having access to the AIN,local microcell systems and any wireless Centrex/PBX to which thehandset has been previously granted access. In order for the handset togain access to the local cellular MC and microcell type PCS MC, bothmust be set up to transmit the same system ID (SID) and to indicatecombined paging and access channels.

In order for the handset of the PCS to access its own base station aswell as the macrocell MC and the microcell MC, the handset must operateat cellular frequencies. The scanning function of the handset isprioritized so as to register with its personal base station first. Ifthe base station is not contacted the handset scans the macrocell andmicrocell control channels, selecting to register with the MC of themicrocell system if detected before attempting to register with the MCof the macrocell system. If the handset has been granted access to awireless Centrex system, it scans a set of control channels speciallyprogrammed into the handsets of Centrex members only. Selection of oneof these special channels must be done by the specific action of thehandset user, and additional handshake procedures may be carried outrequiring a PIN number from the user before he is permitted to interfacewith the wireless Centrex.

Home Base Station

The home base station is structurally similar to prior art cordlesstelephone base stations, except that the transceiver in the base stationoperates at cellular frequencies and uses signalling protocols similarto those of the cellular network to perform registration procedures. Ofparticular note here, the base station includes a microprocessor forprogrammed control of base station operations. To perform registrationwith the ISCP, the base station also includes an auto dialer, and mayinclude means to detect call progress tones and/or certain instructionsignals from the telephone network.

Registration Process for the PCS Handset

Registration from a wireline phone can occur in two modes: automatic andmanual. The automatic mode assumes that the personal user has a wirelessset with a personal base station which can emulate the manual codedescribed below (a "smartcard" or other type device could also be usedfor any CPE so equipped). The user dials a prearranged telephone numberwhich is translated with a Destination Number (DN) trigger for AINprocessing of the call. This trigger establishes a session between theuser and the ISCP known as DTMF update. The ISCP instructs the networkto play an announcement and collect digits. In a manual registrationprocedure, the announcement typically will be a synthesized speechprompt to enter digits. Several series of digits might be collecteddepending on the particular service (i.e., multiple personal numbers perhandset). The user then disconnects after an acknowledgement from theISCP.

In such registration call procedures, enough information is collectedfrom the personal user to establish their identity--including a personalidentification number (for a mobile set, this would be the serialnumber). The Automatic Number Identification (ANI) data identifies thestation from which the subscriber placed the registration call. The ISCP"registers" or stores the station identification number and uses thatnumber as a future destination number to route future calls. Also, thesystem will now trigger a response to calls from the station line andapply the registered subscriber's AIN features to calls from that line.

The first registration priority of the PCS handset is its home basestation. Normally the handset operates at cellular frequencies in the800 MHz range. The control channels used for registration on both themacro cell and micro cell systems are the same as those used in a normalcellular system. However, certain channels are dedicated specifically tothe personal base station for "cordless" use. Under its control program,the microprocessor first causes the handset transceiver to scan channelsdedicated to base station use. Thus, if the PCS handset is in range ofits base unit, registration between the base unit and the handset willtake place without any further operation to register with any otheroverlapping system. Every base station continuously transmits itsidentity in an overhead information on one of the channels dedicated tothe cordless service. Every portable unit has been programmed with thetype, number and location of the channels dedicated to personal baseunit use in the present system. When the portable unit scans thededicated "cordless" channels, a determination is made whether theidentification number of the portable unit is being transmitted by itscorresponding home base station. If so, registration between theportable unit and the base unit is carried out in a manner well known incordless telephone technology. Thus, when the handset comes within rangeof its base station, it will detect its identification number andregister with its home base station (see FIG. 3).

As illustrated in FIG. 3, after a validation of the handset, themicroprocessor controlling the base station initiates an off-hook statein the telephone line (i.e., seizing the telephone-line) connected tothe base station. The microprocessor causes the normal DTMF generator ofthe base station to output a predetermined telephone number. Thispre-programmed number is used to route a call to an SSP. A directorytrigger associated with the SSP launches an enquiry to the appropriateISCP. In response, the selected ISCP instructs the SSP to play anannouncement to the base station and collect digits from the basestation. In an automatic registration procedure of this type, the"announcement" is typically a tone signal, such as a second dial tone.The base station may include a tone detector or the microprocessor maywait a set period of time before proceeding. Either in response todetection of the announcement or after a set time, the base stationoutputs the personal telephone number or the mobile identificationnumber of the user. The ISCP responds by instructing the SSP to againplay an announcement to the base station and collect digits. Followingthe second announcement, the base station outputs a pre-programmedserial number. At this point, the connection is broken as an "on-hook"state is resumed at the base station.

In response to the serial number sent from the personal base station,the ISCP updates its home location register (HLR) for the identifiedsubscriber with the appropriate location of the base station and anindication that the PCS handset is at that location. As a final task,the ISCP cancels any previous registration with other radio linkcontrollers (such as cellular mobility controllers) that have beenregistered by the PCS handset.

The manual registration procedure performed manually by the user isessentially similar to the automatic operation shown in FIG. 3. Formanual operation, however, all digits are input manually by keying aTouch Toner telephone, and the system provides the caller a series ofvoice prompts generated by the AIN containing the ISCP. Theannouncements sent to the base station can be generated from any numberof different sources in the AIN other than the SSP. The advantage of themanual registration is that the user can register via any telephoneline, and the system will route calls and provide the subscriber'sspecial services to that line. The subscriber would then use thetelephone set connected to the line instead of the PCS handset. Thiswould still allow service, even in remote areas out of range of allwireless networks or when the mobile communication unit is out ofservice, for example because of a low battery or a breakdown of themobile unit.

Once invoked, calls are delivered to thee home/office wirelineconnection with the personal base station or other registered land lineuntil the user's mobile communication unit registers on a wirelessnetwork, or until the user manually intervenes to route calls to analternate destination. The home/office wireline connection can be anexisting line or a new line. In the case of an existing line,distinctive ringing features may be added to differentiate calls to thePCS subscriber, or the existing number associated with that line canbecome the personal number for the PCS service.

An additional interactive data base can be provided so that a user ofthe base station can input the necessary information to register thebase station and handset with the AIN, using a series of prompts fromthe interactive data base. The same method can be used for modifying ausers personal services, adding additional levels of security (such asthe requirement of an additional identification number) or updatingtelephone number lists for call-forwarding or voice mailbox purposes, asdescribed in detail below.

FIG. 2 shows each of the personal base stations connected to a linegoing to an SSP. This need not always be the case, particularly for theabove discussed registration procedure. If the base unit dials thenumber identifying an SSP for registration purposes, the SSP triggersAIN type processing upon detection of an incoming call directed to theregistration telephone number, in a manner similar to the terminatingtrigger used for incoming PCS call processing. In response to such acall, the SSP would query the ISCP and go through the registrationprocedure exactly as described above, regardless of the line from whichthe call originated. This ability to connect the base to a line notnecessarily connected to an SSP allows the subscriber to move the baseunit and connect to virtually any telephone line. The subscriber simplydisconnects the base from the home line and moves it to any other lineat a location where the subscriber will be for some period of time. Thebase unit will still perform the automatic registration, and wheneverthe handset has registered with the base unit, the data stored in theISCP will cause the system to route the subscriber's incoming calls tothe new line.

Registration Process for Mobility Controllers

The PCS handset will attach themselves to a paging channel controlled bythe cellular mobile controller only when not in range of the microcellmobile controller.

Thus, the registration process is prioritized so that the mobile PCShandset will register with the PCS microcell controller (PCS MC inFIG. 1) rather than with a cellular mobile controller in the same area.The mobility controller registration procedures are essentially similarfor both cellular macrocell MC's and PCS microcell MC's. Mobile stationswhich are not part of the system of the present invention will normallyregister only with the cellular mobile controller.

The controller channel scanning procedures are specified in documentEIA-553. There are three different types of control channel scans, thefirst two of which are associated with subscriber terminalinitialization at power-on.

The first scan occurs immediately upon power-on and serves to determinethe presence of cellular system radio coverage. The first scan involvesa quick sampling of all 21 dedicated control channel (DCC) frequencies.If one or more signals are found, the mobile communication unit tunes tothe strongest and receives an overhead message train (OMT). The OMTcontains a variety of information about the system and is transmitted onevery control channel roughly once each second. Among the informationprovided is the parameter "N", the number of paging channels provided inthe system. This parameter is controlled by the system operator and inthe present system is set to 12 on all control channels.

The second scan occurs immediately after the first. Its purpose is toidentify and tune to the paging channel being transmitted by the cellwith the best RF coverage at the mobile communication terminal'slocation.

The third scan occurs when the portable terminal seeks to access thesystem. This scan ensures that the access is via the best possible cell.Once the proper control channel is selected, the access proceeds asspecified in the publication EIA-553. Initialization scans are repeatedat each power-up, after each system access, whenever the selected pagingchannel no longer provides a usable signal, and every few minutesaccording to internal programming.

FIG. 7 illustrates dedicated control channel allocation. The first 12channels are dedicated to a cellular controller associated with thesystem of the present invention but capable of handling mobile userswhich are not included in the present system. The second 12 cells arededicated to the microcell controller that is limited only to PCS mobileusers subscribing to the system of the present invention. Anon-subscribing terminal would scan all the channels on the first scan.However, on the second scan only paging channels 1-12 would be checkedand one of these selected. A mobile PCS user subscribing to the systemwould go through a first scan process identical to that of anon-subscriber; however, a second scan would be limited to only the last12 control channels. If the PCS terminal is within range of a microcellcontroller, registration with that controller will take place. If themobile user is not within range of the microcell controller no usablechannel will be found in the range of control channels 13-24 and theportable terminal would revert to normal EIA-553 operation and scan thefirst 12 control channels.

Once the PCS handset determines that it is not in range of the second 12control channels of the microcell controller, scanning of the first 12channels dedicated to a cellular system mobile controller is carriedout, and the handset attempts to register with the mobile controller(MC) as indicated in the second block of FIG. 4. Registration betweenthe handset and the mobile controller is conducted in a mannerconsistent with IS-41. However, there is one exception. The PCSsubscriber is categorized in the visiting location register associatedwith the mobile controller as a visiting Cellular Subscriber Station(CCS). This is true even if the mobile controller is located so that itwould normally be the "home" system of a mobile subscriber in that area.

As is standard in mobile controllers, when a station is registered in avisiting location register, the mobility controller attempts to obtaininformation regarding the visiting mobile station by accessing a homelocation register associated with that mobile station. In the presentsystem, the HLR containing data regarding the PCS handset and its useris not associated with a mobility controller. Rather, the HLR for themobile user is associated with an ISCP in the land line network.

Consequently, when the mobility controller in the area where the PCShandset is currently located attempts to gain information regarding thathandset, the current mobility controller will have to access the ISCPassociated with that handset. Thus, the current mobility controllersends an IS-41 message requesting validation to the HLR associated withthe handset in the ISCP. The ISCP will respond very much in the same waythat a mobility controller having a normal cellular subscriber's HLRwould respond, by providing validation and service profile information.At this time, the ISCP will update the registration data portion of theHLR with identification data for the mobility controller, to indicatethe current point at which the handset is registered. The ISCP alsosends a deregistration message to the last known mobility controller incontact with the mobile station.

A correct ISCP can be accessed based upon the mobile identificationnumber (MIN) automatically transmitted by the handset to the mobilitycontroller when the handset enters the area of the controller using thepreviously described scanning and registration procedures. The handsetMIN identifies the appropriate ISCP as the location of the handset HLR,a selected number of digits serving as an address for the ISCP. The MCcan also be aided in locating the ISCP by referring to a data base todetermine where the ISCP is located.

In sending validation information to the mobility controller, the ISCPwill also download calling feature information associated with the PCShandset. Consequently, the mobility controller does not have to gothrough the additional sequence of tasks described in IS41.3-A,requiring that the mobility controller recognize a feature from thedigits of the MIN and request information and validation from the HLR.In the present system, all the necessary information is downloaded withthe original validation provided by the ISCP.

The validation procedure also serves to identify the mobility controller(MC) with which the PCS mobile communication unit has just registered.This MC identification is similar the visited MC identification providedto the MC holding the subscriber's HLR in a standard cellular networkvisiting subscriber registration and validation procedure. As a result,the location of a PCS handset can be known to its ISCP if the handset isin any area of a mobility controller adhering to IS-41 Rev. a.

As the PCS mobile user roams from the area of one MC to that of another,the ISCP can keep track of the user's location since automaticregistration occurs each time the roaming mobile station enters the areaof a new MC. Since the location of the roaming mobile user is alwaysknown in the ISCP, more efficient call routing can be performed, and aroaming user can always be reached by a party having access to thesystem of the present invention through a telephone network. Also, themobile users do not have to make a call for a current MC to obtainregistration of the PCS handset.

PCS Call Processing

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the procedures for providing current locationregistration data to the Home Location Register in the ISCP, asdescribed in detail above. The Personal Communication Service systemprocesses calls directed to the PCS subscriber's one assigned number byretrieving the most current registration data from the ISCP and usingthat data to route calls to the home base unit or an MC, whicheverregistered last. FIGS. 5A to 5C together show, in simplified form, thebasic call processing involved in providing this "follow me" typePersonal Communication Service.

For incoming PCS type calls, the AIN trigger used in PCS call processingis based on a recognition that the terminating station identified by thedestination number is a PCS subscriber. At least initially, the centraloffice SSP associated with the called PCS number will recognize thistrigger. Other possible triggers and triggers at other points in thenetwork will be discussed later.

With each call, a terminating SSP receives Automatic NumberIdentification data (ANI) which will include an identification of thecalling subscriber and the destination number from its own callprocessing if the call originated within the same SSP or from a remoteoriginating SSP. As illustrate in FIG. 5A, the terminating local SSPtype CO analyzes the ANI information and determines if a call isdirected to any one of the PCS subscribers associated therewith andthereby determines whether or not the current call is an PCS servicetype call. If not a PCS call, the SSP executes normal call processing asit would for any plain old telephone service call.

Now assume that, for example in the system of FIG. 2, John Doe is a PCSsubscriber assigned PCS number 412-999-1234, and that John's home baseis base station unit 16. Assume further that PCS subscriber John Doe'snumber is normally assigned to an SSP 17 in the Pittsburgh area, but thelatest registration indicates availability through a cellular MC 22 inthe Washington, D.C. area. A caller in Philadelphia dials the number forthe 412-999-1234 on station C. The Philadelphia SSP 15 and the rest ofthe telephone network process the call as a standard land line telephonecall until it reaches SSP 17 in the Pittsburgh area. The SSP 17,however, recognizes John Doe's DN 412-999-1234 as an indication of anAIN call.

In response to the call destination type trigger, the SSP type COassociated with the destination subscriber, i.e the terminating SSP,suspends call processing and sends a query to the ISCP. The query is inTCAP format and includes the ANI data which identifies both theoriginating subscriber and the destination number. In our specificexample, the terminating SSP 17 in Pittsburgh suspends processing of thecall to John Doe and sends a query identifying both the Philadelphiacaller and John Doe to the ISCP 40 via STP's 25 and 31 and theinterconnecting data links.

The ISCP uses the PCS number received with the query from the SSP toidentify the subscriber's home location register (HLR). Typically, thePCS subscriber's home location file will provide a complete servicegraph (like a flow chart) to control further processing of the incomingcall based on certain conditions of the current call. Each PCSsubscriber has a corresponding service graph, and each subscriber canhave their graph customized to suit their own business and/or lifestyle. The ISCP looks at the ANI data and decides how to process thecurrent call based on the subscriber's customized service graph.

Typically, this involves a first decision based on comparison of the ANIdata to the service graph to decide whether or not to invoke a callscreening feature, i.e. whether or not this PCS subscriber has requestedscreening and if so whether or not the subscriber's stored screeningcriteria mandate screening out the current call. The screening analysiscan be based on the calling party's number, the time of day, the PCSsubscriber's current location, combinations of these criteria, and/orany other arbitrary call related data the PCS subscriber might choose.For example, assume now that John Doe has selected to have callsscreened between 5:00 PM and 8:30 AM weekdays and all day on weekends,unless his PCS handset is registered with the MC which provides thewireless Centrex service to his office. John's service graph indicatesthat during such times, the network should route the calls to hispresent location only if they originate from one of a specified numberoriginating telephone station numbers specified in a first stored list.

For simplicity, FIG. 5 illustrates a screening scenario in which theresult of the ANI based decision to screen this call involvestermination of the call. Other screening scenarios are possible and willbe discussed by way of example later. If the analysis of the callresults in a decision to screen the call, the ISCP sends a responsemessage to the SSP via the appropriate STP's and data links. The datamessage indicates the type of termination specified by the PCSsubscriber's service graph data. The termination scenario can be assimple or as sophisticated as the PCS subscriber chooses. The servicegraph could call for routing to an announcement or a reorder signal(fast busy signal normally indicating network busy status), a voicemailbox system, etc. The service graph may call for different types oftermination at different times, for different callers, or based on anyother criteria arbitrarily selected by the subscriber. For example, JohnDoe's service graph data might direct the system to terminate calls froma second list of potential callers by routing them to a mail box, toterminate calls for the third list of callers at certain times (say 5:00to 8:00 PM weekdays) to a third party's destination number (for examplean Associate in California) and to terminate all other screened outcalls to a reorder tone.

If the present call is not to be screened out, ISCP next examines thePCS subscriber's file in its data base to determine where the PCSsubscriber is currently registered. If the user is registered in themobile environment, i.e. at an identified MC, then the ISCP must obtainrouting data from the Visiting Location Register (VLR) assigned to thesubscriber's communication terminal in the identified MC, to determine arouting address or other condition. The ISCP therefore launches an IS-41query addressed to the identified MC. This query goes through the SS#7network to MC's such as shown in FIG. 2, which have SS#7 communicationlinks with an STP and is received by the addressed MC. If the identifiedMC is an outside MC having X.25 communication only, the query goesthrough a hub STP, such as 53 in FIG. 2, and the X.25 network.

The MC then determines if the PCS handset is currently available (FIG.5C). If so, the MC sends an IS-41 response message to the ISCP. Thisresponse message provides routing data for the PCS subscriber from theVisiting Location Register (VLR) currently assigned to that subscriberin the MC. This routing data, for example, includes the Temporary LocalDirectory Number (TLDN) which the MC has assigned to the visiting PCSsubscriber.

The ISCP then formulates a TCAP response message based on the receivedrouting data. In this TCAP message, the destination field would containthe assigned TLDN. The message is sent back to the terminating SSPoffice through the STP(s) and SS#7 data networks. The SSP then uses therouting data to route the call to the MC and forwards the TLDN to the MCto set up the wireless link to the PCS handset.

At this point the PCS handset in the MC controller's area rings. In ourexample, the Pittsburgh SSP 17 has routed the call through the voicetrunk network and the Washington D.C. SSP 13 to the cellular MC 22. TheMC 22 sends an addressed command signal to John's PCS handset, and thehandset rings.

If the subscriber answers the handset, the call is completed. In anadvanced system, with mid-call triggering and barge-in leg manipulationcapabilities in the SSP, the MC's will also detect if the call is notanswered at the handset, typically when ringing continues for more thana set number of rings. If the call is not answered, the MC sends anIS-41 format message indicating that condition back to the ISCP. TheISCP again accesses the PCS subscriber's file and sends a message to theSSP to transfer or redirect the call to an alternate termination pointindicated in the subscriber's service graph. The SSP then terminates thecall in the manner specified by the service graph. As in the screeningroutine, the subscriber can select any treatment of the unanswered callto suit his or her personal or business needs. The system can transferthe call to a voice mailbox service, to a third party line such as thatof a secretary, to a reorder signal and so on. The choice of decisioncriteria and termination point can differ based on the particular calleras identified by the original ANI message, time of day, etc.

At the point where the ISCP queried the MC to determine if the PCShandset was available, the MC could alternately find that the handset isunavailable.

There are several types of unavailability recognized by current cellularradio systems, such as busy and out of range (without yet registeringwith another MC). In any of those cases, the MC will detectunavailability and respond to the ISCP's routing request message byreturning an appropriate IS-41 indication of unavailability of theparticular PCS handset. The ISCP then sends a TCAP response messageinstructing the SSP how to terminate the call. Again, the subscriber candesign the PCS service graph so that the system will select any desiredtermination for any of several different types of calls, e.g. to a mailbox at certain times or to a reorder signal if called by certainparties, etc.

Going back to the determination of the PCS subscriber's current point ofregistration (FIG. 5A), at that point the ISCP may have determined thatthe subscriber was currently registered at the home base unit. In ourexample, assume that John Doe has returned home, his handset has alreadyautomatically registered the home base unit 16 in Pittsburgh, and thebase called in and registered that fact with the ISCP 40, as describedabove with regard to FIG. 3. In this case (FIG. 5B), the ISCP sends aTCAP response message to the SSP, via the STP's and SS#7 data networks.The response message, however, now includes the complete actualtelephone number assigned to the line connected to the base unit. TheSSP determines whether or not the line is busy.

If the line is busy, the SSP sends a message so informing the ISCP andquerying the ISCP for further instructions. The ISCP then sends a TCAPresponse message instructing the SSP how to terminate the call. Oncemore, the subscriber can design the PCS service graph so that the systemwill select any desired termination for any of several different typesof calls, such as the mail box at certain times or to a reorder signalif called by certain parties, etc. The SSP will route and terminate thecurrent call as specified by the PCS subscriber's service graph.

At the point in the call process where the SSP determined whether or notthe line to the home base was busy, the SSP may have alternately foundthat the line was available. At this point the SSP provides a ringingsignal on that line, and the base unit responds by sending a radiosignal to the PCS handset instructing it to ring. At this point, thehandset and any other telephones connected to the same line ring.

Again, if the subscriber answers the handset, the call is completed. Inan advanced system where the SSP has mid-call triggering and barge-inleg manipulation capabilities, if the SSP detects that the call is notanswered at the handset, typically when ringing continues for more thana set number of rings, the SSP sends a TCAP format message indicatingthat condition back to the ISCP. The ISCP again accesses the PCSsubscriber's file and sends back a message instructing the SSP totransfer or redirect the call to an alternate termination pointindicated in the subscriber's service graph. The SSP then terminates thecall in the manner specified by the service graph. As in each of theearlier termination procedures, the subscriber can select any treatmentof the unanswered call. The system can transfer the call to a voicemailbox service, to a third party line such as that of a secretary, to areorder signal and so on. Again, the choice of termination can differbased on the particular caller as identified by the original ANImessage, time of day, etc.

As shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C, the call to the PCS subscriber canreach a termination point, other than the handset, based on screening,unavailability/busy at either the MC or the base unit, or after afailure to answer at either the MC or the base unit. In the drawingsthese are all shown as different termination results, and if aparticular subscriber chooses, each termination may direct calls todifferent termination points based on totally different criteria. Inmany cases, the subscriber might specify essentially the same criteriaand points of termination for two or more of these possibleterminations. For example, the unanswered calls might receive the sametermination treatment, redirection to a secretary's line, for both thebase unit location calls and the calls directed to the MC. There will besituations, however, where the subscriber may choose a different resultbased on the current point of registration. For example, if John Doe'sPCS service was for business use, his service graph might specifyredirect to his secretary's station when his handset is unavailablewithin the business's wireless Centrex area, but it could instructtermination with a reorder (fast busy) signal if the line to his base athis private home were busy.

In addition to screening and terminating calls, the service graph maysuggest other processing scenarios, several of which might involvequerying the caller. One example would provide a further level ofscreening. In such a scenario, if the ANI data indicates that the calleris a specific party or a member (or non-member) of a specified group,the ISCP sends an "INVOKE" message to the SSP. In response to such amessage, the SSP plays an announcement, specified in the message, to thecalling party and collects further digits. The digits could representpersonal identification number type access control. In one preferredembodiment of such a scenario, if the caller is not a recognized party,the announcement asks the caller if he or she is willing to pay allcharges for the call. If the PCS subscriber is currently registered viaan MC, the announcement would ask if the caller is willing to pay forthe air time necessary to complete the call via a wireless link. If thePCS subscriber is registered at point requiring long distance routing,or the subscriber's data calls for termination of the call at analternate point requiring long distance routing, the announcement wouldask if the caller is willing to pay all long distance toll charges forthe call. The SSP collects digits and forwards them to the ISCP. TheISCP determines from the collected digits whether or not the calleraccepts such charges and provides messages to the SSP's and/or MC's toinstruct them to add charges for the air time or the long distance tollcharges to the calling party's telephone bill.

As discussed above, the PCS call processing triggers at the terminatingSSP upon recognition that the destination number identifies a PCSsubscriber. Subsequent routing of the call to reach the subscriber'scurrent registered location or a termination point specified in thesubscriber's service graph may require routing through additional SSP'sand trunk lines. This procedure is complicated and at times results indouble switching through the SSP's and trunks. In the example where JohnDoe was in Washington but was assigned to a Pittsburgh SSP 17 (FIG. 2),suppose now that the incoming call originated from telephone C in theWashington area. The system would route the call from SSP 13 to the SSP17 in Pittsburgh before triggering PCS processing, and the ISCP wouldthen instruct the SSP 17 to reroute the call back to SSP 13 to MC 22 toreach John's mobile communication unit at its current point ofregistration. To improve routing efficiency and eliminate such doubleswitching, the SSP's and MC's would be programmed to trigger AIN typequery and response procedures on outgoing calls. Rather than providetranslation tables in all SSP's and MC's, the originating SSP couldlaunch a query to the ISCP to determine if a called party is a PCSsubscriber for all calls. Alternatively, the originating SSP couldprocess the call as a normal call to a remote SSP, using CCIS signallingto the terminating SSP. At the point were the terminating SSP determinesavailability of the called station, the terminating SSP would alsodetermine if the called subscriber is a PCS subscriber. The responsemessage sent back to the originating SSP would then tell that SSP totrigger AIN type processing and send an initial query up to the ISCP.

Outgoing Special Services

It is also possible to use the AIN network to provide special servicesto subscribers placing outgoing calls. This class of subscribers mayinclude the PCS subscribers making calls through the land line networkor the wireless network and other network subscribers. For example, thesubscriber could be a member of a Centrex group (wired, wireless orboth) having an extension dialing plan, or the AIN could provide anabbreviated dialing option to individual subscribers. In either example,the caller would dial a limited number of digits and the network wouldaccess data in the ISCP to determine the complete destination number.The subscriber files stored in the ISCP can be programmed to provide awide variety of special service features on outgoing calls.

The personal user can activate features from either a mobile set usingIS-41 type message to the ISCP (actually, the user dials prearrangeddigits, and the mobile switch sends out the IS-41 messages) or by using,again, DTMF update. Once again, the user would go through a scriptedprocess to have specific features invoked or modified.

To implement AIN special services in the seamless network, the MC'scould be modified to act as SSP's, for example to trigger queries to theISCP in response to outgoing call or service requests. At leastinitially, the MC's will be modified only to forward calls to an SSPcapable switch or tandem acting as the originating central office withinthe PSTN, and the MC would outpulse ANI data including the originatingsubscriber data. The originating SSP will then trigger AIN processing,based on the calling subscriber's identification, just as if the callinitiated from a land line. FIG. 6 shows, in simplified form, oneprocedure for providing the added AIN special services to the callingsubscriber.

With reference to FIG. 6, after the SSP detects an off-hook or anoutgoing call from a wireless subscriber, it must initially determinewhether or not the call originates from a line or PCS handset of a partysubscribing to an AIN special Service. In the simplest land line case,this means checking a translation table in the SSP central office todetermine if the line or handset requesting service is an AIN subscriberline or handset. If not an AIN subscriber, the system receives dialeddigits from the land line or destination digits from the handset and MCand executes normal call processing routines for completing the call.

If the call originates from an AIN special service subscriber's line orhandset, the originating SSP receives dialed digits from the land lineor destination digits from the handset and MC. The SSP then suspends thecall and sends a query message up to the ISCP. This query message is inthe TCAP format for an initial query from an SSP. Specifically, theoffice sends the TCAP query via a CCIS link to an STP, the STPrecognizes that the query is addressed to the ISCP and retransmits thequery, either directly or through a further STP, as in FIG. 2, to theISCP.

The ISCP uses the originating party identification included in theinitial query type TCAP message to identify the particular subscriber.The dialed digits and/or calling number are then used to identifyprocessing data needed to provide the requested AIN special service froma stored data table associated with the particular subscriber. The ISCPthen formulates an appropriate response message, again in the formatspecified by TCAP, and transmits the response message back to theoriginating SSP via STP(s) and SS#7 links.

The SSP then provides the requested service based on the receivedprocessing data. In the simple example of an extension or abbreviateddialing plan, the dialed digits might represent a minimum number ofdigits of the called station's number. The response message would thenprovide the complete number of the called station, and the systemexecutes normal call processing routines for completing the call usingthe complete telephone number received from the ISCP. If the completenumber identifies a PCS destination subscriber, when the call reachesthe terminating SSP associated with that destination, that terminatingSSP will execute PCS routing of the call in exactly the manner discussedabove with regard to FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C.

Although the various AIN query and response sequences have each beendescribed above as a single query and response message, the SSP typecentral office and MC's may send and receive messages back and forthwith the ISCP several times. For example, if the data stored in the ISCPindicates additional data is needed, the first message back to theoffice or MC might instruct that office to generate a prompt (speech ortone) requesting that the originating subscriber dial in additionaldigits. This might be the case if the stored data indicated some levelof access control or restriction relating to the requested service, inwhich case the additional dialed digits might represent a personalidentification number. One special case for this would be requestingthat the caller accept charges for air time on the wireless networkagainst the caller's bill. The central office would then transmit theadditional data to the ISCP for further processing, e.g. comparisonagainst stored data or modification of billing procedure (which mayinclude appropriate notice to the MC of the called PCS subscriber).

Communications Between ISCP's

In the above discussions of PCS call processing and provision of AINspecial services, the queries and responses all were with a single ISCP.As shown in FIG. 2, however, there will typically be more than one ISCP,each serving a different geographic region. The regions might correspondto LATA's, to the areas serviced by separate TELCO's or some otherarbitrary division dictated by the messaging capacity of the data links,etc.

The programming and call processing routines within an ISCP will becompatible with the call processing capabilities of the SSP's and MC'swithin that same area. The programming in other ISCP's however, may notbe completely compatible. Therefore, transmission of call processingdata from an ISCP in one region to an SSP or MC in another area mightcause all or part of the network in the other area to crash. In suchcases it is preferred that the SSP's and MC's within a given regioncommunicate directly with only the ISCP within that region, and someform of mediation between the remote ISCP and the SSP's and MC's in thelocal region becomes mandatory. The present invention provides thismediation at the ISCP level.

It would be possible to recreate each PCS subscriber's service graphdata in each ISCP, but such a solution would be expensive andcumbersome. For example, each time a subscriber modified her servicegraph, the TELCO's would have to reprogram each and every ISCP in thesame manner. The invention therefore designates the ISCP in thesubscriber's home region as the source of that subscriber's HomeLocation Register (HLR) data, including current registered location,special service data, PCS service graph, validation information, etc.Also, each of the ISCP's are set up to include Visiting LocationRegister (VLR) capability. When a subscriber traveling in a region otherthan her home region registers with an ISCP outside her home region,through either a manual or automatic telephone registration procedure orthrough an MC registration procedure as in FIG. 4, that ISCP establishesa VLR for that visiting subscriber.

When the ISCP sets up the VLR, it identifies the ISCP holding thatsubscriber's HLR data based on the PCS handset's unique identificationnumber. The ISCP in the visited region then initiates a validationprocedure with the home region ISCP, via the packet switched signallingnetwork and STP(s), in a manner similar to the validation procedureexecuted when the subscriber registers with one of the MC's. Inparticular, in response to a query from the ISCP in the visited area,the home region ISCP retrieves the subscriber's HLR file and forwardsthat file data back to the ISCP in the visited region.

With reference to the system shown in FIG. 2, consider again the examplewhere PCS subscriber John Doe is assigned PCS number 412-999-1234, whichis normally assigned to an SSP 17 in the Pittsburgh area. The SSP 17sends and receives all of its call processing queries regarding JohnDoe's services to and from the first ISCP 40. Now John takes his handsetand travels to California. When John registers on a line or his handsetregisters through an MC such as MC 34 in California, the registration isdirected to an ISCP 50 in California. The California ISCP 50 queries thePittsburgh ISCP 40 to obtain John's service graph and any other datanecessary to valid John's PCS handset as a visiting station, and storesthe service graph data in a VLR now assigned to John Doe.

This validation procedure also serves to register the visited area ISCPas if that ISCP were the point where the handset can be reached, in amanner similar to the registration of an MC. Subsequently, when a PCScall comes in directed to the visiting subscriber and the home area theSSP, that SSP queries the home region ISCP in the normal manner. Thehome region ISCP queries the visited area ISCP to determine availabilityand obtain a Temporary Location Destination Number for the subscriber,in a manner similar to the routing request directed to an MC. Thevisited region ISCP performs any data communication with the SSP's orMC's in its regions to obtain the necessary to availability and routinginformation and returns that data to the home region ISCP. The homeregion ISCP forwards the routing information to the home normalterminating SSP which uses that information to route the call to thevisited region.

The TLDN is associated with one of the SSP's in the visited region, justas the PCS subscriber's normal PCS number is assigned to a terminatingSSP in the home region. When the call reaches the terminating SSPcorresponding to the TLDN, that SSP recognizes the TLDN included in theANI for the call and processes the call as a normal PCS call, but withits call processing control messages going to and from only the ISCP inthe visited region. The terminating TLDN includes the TLDN in theinitial TCAP response message as the destination number, and the ISCPuses that number to retrieve appropriate subscriber service graph dataand current registration from the VLR.

In our example, the California ISCP 50 has registered with the ISCP 40and received John Doe's service graph data. When a call directed to JohnDoe reaches his normally assigned SSP 17 in Pittsburgh, assuming theservice graph indicates the current call should go through and the PCShandset is not unavailable, the ISCP 40 instructs the SSP 17 to routethe call to the TLDN associated with the SSP 19 in California. The SSP19 responds to the incoming call and initiates the PCS processingroutine with access to the VLR data in the California ISCP 50. The ISCP50 determines the current point of registration of John Doe's handset,for example the MC 32, and proceeds with processing of the PCS call inthe normal manner. As needed, the ISCP 50 will at various points in theprocess communicate with the MC 34 in that region. As seen from thisspecific example, the ISCP's communicated with each other, but the MC'sand SSP's in each region communicated only with the ISCP in the sameregion.

When the visiting PCS subscriber requests an AIN special service, theSSP's and MC's send and receive all queries and response messages to andfrom the ISCP in the visited region. All service graph data is retrievedfrom the VLR, without any further reference to the home region ISCP.

In processing all calls to and from the visiting subscriber, the ISCP inthe visited region examines the call processing data called for by thedata in the VLR and modifies or filters out any instructions which wouldbe incompatible with the SSP's and MC/s of that region. This mediationby the ISCP in the same region as the SSP's and MC's it communicateswith prevents incompatible instructions from reaching the SSP's andMC's.

This feature, although described in relation to an integrated wire lineand wireless network, actually has broader applications. In particular,since the subscriber can register by automatic dialing or manually overa land line, it is possible to provide the PCS call direction andassociated special services, to any land line the subscriber chooses touse. Although the mobile communications provided by the wireless handsetare advantageous they are not always necessary. The system could providea follow me type service without the wireless handset. In such a system,the communications between ISCP's in different regions would still benecessary and the system could still operate exactly as described above.Also, if a national data base were established, that data base wouldcontain all HLR data. The ISCP's in the different regions would treatall subscribers as visitors, assign a VLR and obtain necessary data fromthe national data base, in a manner similar to that described above forcommunications between two ISCP's. The national data base could be usedif all persons were assigned a unique personal telephone number.

As in the basic PCS call processing routine (FIGS. 5A-5C), the abovediscussion of PCS routing using two communicating ISCP's assumestriggering will occur at the home terminating SSP upon recognition thatthe destination number identifies a PCS subscriber. Preferredembodiments of the system however, will be programmed to use outgoingPCS call triggering, to improve routing efficiency and eliminate suchdouble switching.

Service Creation/Modification

A key advantage of the present system is the ability to write and modifythe customer's service graph for PCS calls and special services at anytime to suit the subscriber's current desires. In an initialimplementation, the changes in the data base will probably be mademanually by a telephone company technician. Specifically, a technicianoperating the ISCP would establish or enter changes in the subscriber'sdata files. The customer would ask the telephone operating company for achange, and the operating company would issue a service order to thetechnician for each change. The technician would then use the SCEterminal to actually enter the changes into the data base, and thetelephone company would bill the subscriber for the change.

Subscribers, however, are increasingly asking for control over their owncommunication services. The present invention will provide such controlby allowing the subscriber one of several forms of access to their datafiles in the ISCP. A preferred implementation of such an access featurewould use an interactive voice and DTMF input type access proceduresimilar to the manual procedure for registration via a land line. Thesubscriber would dial a specified number to initiate programming. Thecall could be routed through the network to an appropriate automatedvoice response system coupled to the ISCP. Alternatively, the SSPconnected to the line could respond to instructions from the ISCP toprovide voice messages from an associated peripheral announcement systemand forward dialed digits and ANI data to the ISCP as TCAP messages. Ineither case, if the subscriber calls from that subscriber's own line,for example from the line assigned to the subscriber's home base unit,the ANI information for the call serves to identify the subscriber.Alternately, the subscriber could enter an identification number. TheISCP would receive and use the ANI or dialed DTMF identification numberto identify the subscriber's data files. The ISCP, however, would grantaccess only to the identified subscriber's files.

The voice response system would provide synthesized speech prompts andaccept DTMF inputs to allow individual subscribers to enter their ownchanges in their data files in the ISCP. This interactive voice responsetype system would prompt the caller with messages directing the callerto select items form a menu of possible entries or changes in thesubscriber's service graph. The menu items would only include entrieswhich were compatible with the AIN system processing procedures, andentries would be stored in the data file only after they are determinedto be complete and system compatible.

For a more sophisticated customer, access might be provided via aPersonal Computer, a data terminal or some other form of work station.Such a subscriber would call in and establish a data link to the ISCPvia modems. The subscriber could call using a wireless mobilecommunications unit or a standard land line. Security is controlledthrough the terminal and/or the line from which the terminal calls in tothe ISCP. The terminal may have a built in security code which the ISCPverifies before granting access to the data base, or the ISCP may checkthe originating telephone number and the terminal identity numberagainst a stored number from which that terminal is expected to call.Once access was granted, however, the terminal would still only haveaccess to an individual subscriber's files or the files of employees ofa business subscriber. Other subscriber's files, and the programmingwhich controls system operation, would not be available through suchterminal access. As in the DTMF access system, the terminal accessprocedure would limit the subscriber's entries to complete entries whichwere compatible with the AIN system operating parameters. Alternatively,the terminal or workstation could be owned and operated by a wirelesscommunication service provider. The service provider would sell actualPCS services to individual subscribers, and the terminal would be usedto customize new services or enter service changes on behalf ofindividual PCS subscribers.

The ISCP includes a validation system, which is an expert systemprevents incompatible entries. For example, the validation systemprevents entry of service changes which would create infinite loops thatwould cause the switch to malfunction. The validation system wouldcontrol entry of new services and changes in service for each type ofsubscriber access to the ISCP data files.

Other Features

Because of the ease of programming the subscriber's data files withinthe ISCP, the present system can readily adapt to providing thesubscriber with a wide variety of special features. A number of thefeatures can be outgoing features processed as discussed in the AINSpecial Services section above. Copending commonly assigned applicationSerial No (docket number 680-035) entitled "Area Wide Centrex", forexample, discloses a variety of services for business customers whichcould easily be added to the present system. The ISCP can also provide avariety of reporting services, for example station message detailreports customized for each subscriber or each station assigned to aparticular subscriber. Furthermore, since the system registers a currentlocation of each PCS portable unit, the system can report a subscriber'slocation at any given time.

It would also be a simple matter to program the home base unit and ISCPto provide further enhancements. For example, since the ISCP knows if itroutes a call to a voice mailbox, it can store that data. Then when thehome base unit executes a registration call, the ISCP could send aninstruction to the base unit to ring the PCS handset and another messageto connect the subscriber's home line to the line of the voice mailbox.The subscriber would then know that messages are waiting and retrievethose messages.

Because of the location registration, it also would be possible to storeand analyze customer movements. This could be used to detect patternsand provide customized information services based on those patterns. Forexample, if the subscriber takes the same route to work every morning,the stored data would indicate a pattern of registration with MC's alongthat route. The system then might provide a voice message to the PCShandset every morning, for example explaining current traffic conditionsalong the route of travel.

In an advanced service, the PCS call might ring at both the wirelesshandset and the home or office telephone, e.g., on the line to thepersonal base station. The system would then provide an intercom link orthree way conference with the handset and the home or office telephone.

CONCLUSION

From the above detailed description it should be clear that the presentintegrated network provides centralized control of call processing byboth central office switching systems and wireless mobility controllersto establish a completed communication link between one of thecommunication lines and one of the mobile communication units, based onthe stored call processing data associated with individual subscribers.This call processing control can provide call routing to either a landline or a wireless unit via a mobility controller in response to callsdirected to a single number. The system can also extend special servicesnormally provided to land lines by the telephone central office switchesto any line of the system designated by subscriber registration and tomobile units operating in the wireless portion of the network.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a communications systemcomprising the steps of:detecting a predetermined event duringprocessing of a call through one of a plurality of switching offices ofa communication network; sending a first query containing informationrelating to the call to a mediation point; based on predeterminedcriteria relating to the call, selecting one of a plurality of serviceproviders and sending a second query containing at least some of theinformation relating to the call to a database of a selected serviceprovider; accessing data in the database of the selected serviceprovider in response to the second query to obtain a call processinginstruction; sending a first response containing the call processinginstruction from the database of the selected service provider to themediation point; processing the first response to validate the callprocessing instruction; and processing the call in accord with thevalidated call processing instruction to provide calling service.
 2. Amethod as in claim 1, wherein a first one of the service providersoperates a first portion of the communication network, and the databaseof the first provider contains data relating to one or more servicesprovided via the first portion of the communication network.
 3. A methodas in claim 2, wherein a second one of the service providers operates asecond portion of the communication network, and at least one databaseof the second provider contains data relating to one or more servicesprovided via the second portion of the communication network.
 4. Amethod as in claim 3, wherein the mediation point communicates with thedatabase of the selected service provider via the interoffice signalingnetwork.
 5. A method as in claim 2, wherein the switching offices aretelephone central office switching systems, and the interofficesignaling network is a common channel interoffice signaling system of atelephone network.
 6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step ofprocessing the call comprises routing the call at least in part usingnetwork resources operated by the selected service provider.
 7. A methodas in claim 1, wherein the predetermined event is an AdvancedIntelligent Network trigger.
 8. A method as in claim 1, wherein thepredetermined event is a trigger selected from the group consisting of:off-hook immediate, off-hook delay, trunk seizure, primary rateinterface, individualized dialing plan, office dialing plan, transitnetwork selection, originating line information, directory number,automatic route selection, automatic alternate routing, basic rateinterface feature button, terminating attempt and virtual number.
 9. Acommunication network, comprising:a plurality of communication links; aplurality of separately located central office switching systemsinterconnected via trunk circuits for selectively providing switchedcall connections between at least two of the communication links; amediation point, separate from the central office switching systems; asignaling communication system coupled to the central office switchingsystems and to the mediation point for two-way communications of datamessages; at least one service control database separate from and incommunication with the mediation point wherein: the central officeswitching systems transmit query messages to the mediation point via thesignaling communication system in response to occurrences ofpredetermined events in processing of calls, and, in response to eachquery relating to a particular call, the mediation point obtains callingcontrol data from said at least one service control database separatefrom the mediation point, and transmits said calling control data to oneof the central office switching systems.
 10. A network as in claim 9,wherein the mediation point comprises an integrated services controlpoint (ISCP) containing a service control database.
 11. A network as inclaim 9, wherein:the communication network further comprises analternate service carrier network coupled to one of the central officeswitching systems.
 12. A network as in claim 11, wherein:thecommunication network further comprises a second alternate servicecarrier network coupled to one of the central office switching systems.13. A network as in claim 11, wherein the mediation point comprises anintegrated services control point containing a service control database.14. A network as in claim 10, wherein the central office switchingsystems are telephone central office switches, and the interofficesignaling network is a common channel communicator system signaling of atelephone network.
 15. A network as in claim 14, wherein the localcommunication links are telephone communication links.
 16. A network asin claim 15, wherein the telephone communication links are telephonelines.
 17. A network as in claim 11, wherein the alternate servicecarrier network is an interexchange carrier network.
 18. A network as inclaim 14, wherein the alternate service carrier network is a wirelesscommunication network.
 19. A method of operating a communications systemcomprising the steps of:detecting a predetermined event duringprocessing of a first call for one subscriber through one of a pluralityof switching offices of a communication network; sending a first querycontaining information relating to the call through an interofficesignaling network to a mediation point determining that a parameterrelating to the first call meets a first predetermined condition;obtaining first call processing data from a database operated by a firstservice provider; processing the first call in accord with the firstcall processing data; detecting a predetermined event during processingof a second call for the one subscriber through one of a plurality ofswitching offices of a communication network; determining that aparameter relating to the second call meets a second predeterminedcondition; obtaining second call processing data from a databaseoperated by a second service provider; processing the second call inaccord with the second call processing data.
 20. A methodcomprising:detecting a predetermined event during processing of a callfrom a caller through one of a first plurality of switching offices of acommunication network; sending a first query containing firstinformation relating to the call through an interoffice signalingnetwork to a service controller serving as a first mediation point forthe first plurality of switching offices; sending a second querycontaining at least some of the first information from the servicecontroller to a second mediation point serving a second plurality ofswitching offices and having a database; receiving, at the servicecontroller, second information, corresponding to the second query, fromthe second mediation point database; completing the processing of saidcall from the caller in response to the second information; and whereinsaid second information includes services information corresponding tosubscription services used by the caller within the second plurality ofswitching offices.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the completingstep comprises registering the caller in a subscriber location registerfor at least some services managed by the first mediation point.
 22. Themethod of claim 21, wherein the registering comprises storing in saidsubscriber location register wireless telephone information contained insaid first information.
 23. The method of claim 20, wherein the firstinformation includes a destination telephone number corresponding to oneof said second plurality of switching offices, and the secondinformation comprises routing information corresponding to saiddestination telephone number.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein saidrouting information identifies a current location of the caller.